Education college major attracts religious students, study finds

As compared with other majors, education overly attracts religious students. These students also tend to become more religious by the time they graduate. Social sciences and humanities students, however, often become less religious during their residency.

A study of over 26 thousand students found that education majors attract religious students, and that these students become more religious during their studies. Researchers at the University of Michigan targeted the "Monitoring the Future Study" on the relationship among religious attitudes, college attendance, and major. Students were followed for a period of six years between 1976 and 1996. Among the questions participants were asked: How often do you attend religious services? How important is religion in your life? How good or bad a job is being done for the country as a whole by churches and religious organizations?

University of Michigan Institute for Social Research

Predicted change in religiosity six years out from high school for different college majors compared to the predicted change in religiosity if the student had not gone to college.

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The data shows that students majoring in biology, engineering, physical science and mathematics were just as religious leaving college as when they entered college. Social science and humanities students became less religious over time while in college. Business and vocational/clerical students became slightly more religious during their college years. Education students became more religious during their school years. Business majors were used as a reference point because it is “culturally neutral, attracts a large number of students, and with the content of most business courses not touching on values," according to Miles Kimball, an economist and author of the study. Additionally according to the authors,

Education majors are clearly safe havens for the religious. Highly religious people seem to prefer education majors, tend to stay in that major, and tend to become more religious by the time they graduate.

Individuals who had not entered college were also surveyed. “Those who were more religious were more likely to attend college eventually.” According to Kimball, possibly because church friends would “nag” the individual into attending.

There are important differences among the college majors in world views and overall philosophies of life. At the same time, students recognize to some degree the differences among majors and chose a major based, at least in part, on religiosity.

Our results suggest that it is Postmodernism, not Science, that is the bête noir of religiosity. One reason may be that the key ideas of Postmodernism are newer than the key scientific ideas that challenge religion. For example, religions have had 150 years to develop resistance or tolerance for the late 19th century idea of Evolution, but much less time to develop resistance or tolerance for the key ideas of Postmodernism, which gained great strength over the course of the 20th century.

The study is available through the National Bureau of Economic Research.